


so darlin', darlin', stand by me

by hearden



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Canonical Character Death, F/M, POV Second Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-24 05:06:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13206591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hearden/pseuds/hearden
Summary: Kim and Billy knew each other, once upon a time, before they were Power Rangers, but something -someone- changed.





	so darlin', darlin', stand by me

**Author's Note:**

> hey fun fact kimberly hart is the single most shippable power ranger in the entirety of franchise history, whether it’s mmpr kim, comics kim, or movie kim, trust me i’m a scientist and all kim ships are A+
> 
> with that being said, billy/kim is Pretty High up there on the list of “best kim ships”

When you're nine, you move to Angel Grove. Being the new girl in school is hard, different, but thankfully, kids at nine are more open to meeting new kids than kids at seventeen.

There's a boy in your class who offers to share his crayons with you. Nobody else seems to like him much, evidently -- he sits alone in class and at lunch. He smiles kindly at you. You can't imagine why nobody wants to be his friend.

"I'm Billy," he says, offering you a crayon that's as blue as his sweater, "Billy Cranston or, or William Cranston, if you'd like to call me that, too. My mom calls me William when I'm in trouble."

You can't help but laugh. He's friendly. Cute. You take the crayon and return his smile, "I'm Kim."

 

-

 

For Billy's tenth birthday, his dad gets him a Rubik's Cube. It's a simple one, 3x3, and he solves it within minutes of taking it out of the package.

"How… how did you do that?" you ask, baffled. You've never even solved one, mostly because, well, you get frustrated and give up easily.

He grins, "It's simple! Well, I mean, I think it's simple. They're just a bunch of algorithms, really. It just takes practice like my dad says -- practice makes permanent."

You raise an eyebrow, "Not perfect?"

Billy shrugs, "Nothing's perfect." He hands the cube to you, "Here -- scramble it for me, and I'll show you."

 

-

 

Your parents take you to a small retro-style diner one night for dinner. It's weeks after the funeral.

He's there, sitting at the counter, so you ask to be excused from your booth.

You take a seat next to him, hopping up on one of the stools with only a slight bit of difficulty. "Does your mom know you're here?" you ask, trying to look at his eyes, but he's busy looking at the cube in his hands. The stickers are starting to peel. Billy plays with it too much, and when he's not playing with it, _you're_ playing with it.

"No," he admits.

You glance back at your parents then at him, "Should I call her?"

Billy shakes his head, frowning, "No, that's okay. I'll go home in a little bit."

"Have you eaten?"

He shakes his head again, and you're a bit discouraged by how unresponsive he is.

"Are you hungry?"

He doesn't say anything or even shake his head this time, so you look at your parents and motion at him then at their table. It hardly takes a second for both of your parents to nod yes.

"Billy," you say, softly, ghosting a hand over his arm, not exactly touching, "Do you wanna eat with us? My parents would love to have you."

He turns to find your parents, and your dad waves encouragingly at the two of you.

Billy looks at you then asks quietly, "Do you think your parents would let me have a milkshake?"

"Yeah, of course," you give him a small smile then hop off of the stool and walk him to your table, "What flavor?"

He takes a moment to think about it then nods to himself when he's got it, "Strawberry."

 

-

 

For your twelfth birthday, Billy gives you a book on making origami -- and his old Rubik's cube, all neatly wrapped up in pink paper.

"Billy," you protest, "I can't take this--"

He looks so quietly sad for a moment that the rest of your words die in your throat. "I don't really play with it anymore," he says, shrugging, "And I want you to have it."

You almost say _But, your dad_ but manage to stop yourself in time. You know him, and you know that his decisions are always honest, always intentional.

"Thank you," you sigh and take the cube from him. You rub your thumb over the corner of one of the blue stickers, smoothing it back into place.

"Happy Birthday, Kim," he says, and his grin is as radiant as the sun.

 

-

 

To remember his dad, Billy has the mine. They used to go there together all the time, and Billy did promise you if he and his dad ever found anything cool, he'd bring you back a little souvenir.

He goes there without you, which is completely understandable, but you still worry.

You drop him off every time -- which is completely illegal, he says, especially since he's not a licensed driver yet and you only have a permit, but then his rambling dies down when you pointedly remind him that you're his only ride to the mine.

"I'll see you in two hours," Billy says, every time, with a smile and a short wave.

You _could_ leave. Drive off and have fun somewhere else. Maybe try and awkwardly weasel your way into one of the parties the varsity cheer girls are always having. You're only on junior varsity at this point, but maybe… just maybe.

Instead, one night, you decide to stay. You park your car off the side of the road, make sure that your phone is all charged, and find a trail to hike. You're content with letting Billy do his own thing, after all, it's not like you guys have to share _everything._ Having something for himself is what keeps him sane.

But, it's still a small comfort to you that, while you're walking, he's only a short distance away.

 

-

 

At the beginning of junior year, you make varsity and forget all about Billy Cranston.

Life is girls and sleepovers, boys falling at your feet, and you… you're on top of it all.

Coach makes you captain, and the first person you tell isn't Billy.

 

-

 

Halfway through the fall, you stumble across a lake during one of your hikes. It's early evening, a few hours before you're due home for dinner but school's been over for awhile now. The water looks absolutely gorgeous in the soft light of the sunset, and you make a note to yourself to pack a towel in your trunk tomorrow.

You stand there for a few minutes, drinking in the sight at the edge of the cliff, and then you remember.

It's only a short walk to the quarry. You spot him instantly, the only person down there, in a blue jacket and cargo pants, working on… something. He walks back and forth, holding a device in his hands. Looking for gold, maybe, you think to yourself, amusedly.

You try not to think about it too much, but you're glad that he somehow found his way back here, even without you to drive him.

You could call out to him, but you don't and head home, instead.

 

-

 

You make a mistake.

Maybe it'll blow over.

 

-

 

Colt bumps into Billy and picks up one of the fallen colored pencils.

He snaps it in half, and you flinch, realizing, with gritted teeth, that those are the pencils you bought Billy for his birthday last spring.

You almost get up to do something about it, but Jason Scott gets there first.

The slap resounds around the room, and you raise your eyebrows in interest. But, then, your phone _bings,_ and all that interest is washed away under a raging storm.

 

-

 

You make a mistake, and all of your friends leave you.

 

-

 

Well, not all of them.

Not him.

 

-

 

He looks at you, coming down the stairs, fresh cut and confident swagger and all, and smiles a little bit.

Your eyes meet for just a split second, and you smile back.

 

-

 

"I, uh, came with Billy," Jason says, shrugging.

You chuckle and raise your eyebrows, "Billy Cranston? Weird… but I've seen him up here before."

It makes sense, of course, but you're just making small talk. Billy would still need someone to drive him to the mine. You swallow the disappointing guilt that he wouldn't need Jason's help if he had yours and keep talking.

 

-

 

"Hey, Kimberly… Kimberly Hart," Billy fumbles, and you blink, wondering for a second why he's acting like he doesn't know you.

Right.

Because you don't know him anymore, either.

You shove those feelings away and force yourself to focus, "We need to talk."

"Since when does he know Kimberly Hart?" You hear one of his friends stammering as you walk away and shake your head to yourself.

If only they knew.

 

-

 

It takes you a bit of searching, but finally, you manage to find the origami book Billy had given you in the back of your closet, under a pile of old clothes that you keep meaning to donate but never remember to.

You crack it open and spend the rest of the night learning how to fold a piece of notebook paper into a neat square that doesn't come apart.

 

-

 

"You did an awful thing, but that doesn't make you an awful person," Jason says, "Just be the person you wanna be."

Your heart clenches. You want to tell Jason that it's not that easy -- that it's more than just the picture and the chainmail and punching Ty in the face.

It's tossing the Rubik's cube Billy gave you into one of your desk drawers and never taking it out again. It's not responding to his text messages because you were too busy hanging out with the other cheerleaders to give him the time of day. It's forgetting him, and choosing them over choosing him over and over and over again until neither of you can recognize the person you've become.

 

-

 

No, no, no, no, no.

You can't untangle yourself fast enough.

"Quick! Get the rope!" you say, reaching for it first. The others fall behind you, helping you pull.

God, he's so heavy.

God, he's so…

You shove Jason aside and fall on your knees, fear rising in your throat like bile. His skin is cold, so cold. You rip his jacket open, feeling for a pulse, but there is none.

No.

_Don't leave me._

The tears fall freely, and you cradle his head like you would if you could've hugged him one last time.

"He's dead," you whisper, trembling, "He's dead."

_I'm sorry._

The air is silent. You can hear the others, distraught and hurt, but it doesn't compare. It doesn't even come _close_ to comparing.

Something sticks out of his pocket. You pull it out, his phone and a crumpled note.

Edge to edge, fold and fold.

_We should start a band._

You sob and hold the note closer to your heart.

_Please, don't leave me. I'm sorry I left you. I made a mistake._

"Pick him up," you order, your voice too low.

The others just stand there, still processing, still losing.

"Help _me_ pick him up!" you shout, voice cracking, tears trailing down your cheeks.

He's your best friend, and he doesn't deserve to die like this.

 

-

 

"Did I die?" Billy asks, his brow furrowing.

"No," Trini says, reassuringly.

"Yes," you counter without missing a beat.

"A little bit," Zack admits with a shrug.

Trini gives you an incredulous look, but you ignore her. You know Billy -- honestly and intentionally.

Without thinking, you reach out and touch his cheek. He looks at you, you look at him, and inside of that moment, you are the only two people in the entire world.

 

-

 

You're at the diner again, but this time, your parents aren't here. In fact, they're getting divorced.

You sit at the counter, making a small dent in the surface every time you quietly rap your knuckles against it. Thank God for that superhero strength, right?

The air shifts as Billy sits down next to you. Vaguely, if you listen hard enough, you can hear Jason, Zack, and Trini chatting away at what's meant to be your table.

"Hey."

"Hi," you mumble.

"Um," Billy taps his fingers on the counter then touches your arm, lightly, gently, "We were about to order if you wanted to come back."

You sigh and shake your head, "I'd like to stay here for a few more minutes, if that's okay."

Billy nods immediately, "Yeah, okay. No, that's fine. Can I stay here with you then?"

You chuckle, "Yeah, of course. As if I could ever say no to you, Billy."

He tilts his head at you. Well, it's true. You couldn't.

"If I gave you something," Billy starts, slowly, and you raise your eyebrows in interest, "Do you think it'd help cheer you up a little?"

"Depends on what it is," you say, casually, but it's a lie. _Everything_ he gives you cheers you up.

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a Rubik's cube -- brand new, 5x5, already scrambled.

His grin is contagiously bright, and you laugh, even as you grab the cube from him, fingers already moving. It takes you a few minutes, but you're determined, a smile on your face as Billy watches you work.

You set the cube on the counter, solved, and Billy slow claps for you.

" _Wow._ Look at how far you've come," he says, proudly.

"What can I say?" you shrug and flash him a grin, "Practice makes permanent. I learned from the best."

He blushes a bit at that.

You glance at the others at the table then back at Billy, "Do you, um, think they'd mind if we just… eat here? You and me?"

Billy doesn't even hesitate, shaking his head, "No, not at all."

"Okay. Good. Because I kinda wanna stay here," you say, quietly.

"Yeah, no, that's fine, I'll stay here with you," he nods.

You take a deep breath. "Wanna get a strawberry milkshake?"

"Two straws?"

He smiles, and your heart melts.

"Yeah, Billy, two straws."

**Author's Note:**

> you know right well where the title is from
> 
> i wrote this... as shippy... but like, looking it over, it doesn't HAVE to be romantic... so like u could take it as platonic if u wanted to... altho, just letting u know, i wrote it as romantic bc uh billykim is one of The Greats so


End file.
